They made it to the aquarium in record time. He second guessed himself the whole way, but his gut persistently told him Colton would be there. It just felt right.
Olivia released his hand as they pulled into the parking lot and it took all his self-control to not reach out to snatch it back. He always felt stronger with her in his corner, and the feeling of her hand holding his amplified that effect.
They rushed to the front doors. Elliot's eyes were on his phone screen as he searched for the picture of Colton his parents provided for identification. He found the picture just as they approached the ticketing counter.
They flashed their badges and Elliot held out the picture of Colton.
"This child went missing this morning, and our evidence suggests he might be here," Elliot began.
The worker glanced at the photo for a millisecond before answering, "Listen man, I see a hundred kids come through here everyday. I wouldn't remember if I saw him."
A flash of anger rippled through him. There was a missing child and this guy could care less. "You didn't even look," Elliot tried to keep his voice neutral but he knew he was failing. He slid his phone across the counter and asked again, "Have you seen this boy?"
The jackass wouldn't even look again. "I already told you I don't know the kid and I'm sure I haven't seen him." Elliot began to seethe and was ready to throw the guy into the nearest wall.
The soft hand on his tensed forearm took this anger down a notch. She gave his arm a light squeeze before softly saying, "I got this."
Her hand slid down his arm and across his palm before she took a step forward. She leaned into the counter, close enough so the worker could clearly see those empathetic eyes, dime sized pupils and all.
"Hey, Cal," she read his name tag. "I know it's been busy today. It's probably busy most days during the summer."
The kid nodded, and his annoyance abated. "It's insane! Everyday it's a flood of people."
"I understand." Olivia asked the same question Elliot had just asked. "Can you just look one more time? It's important. Try to think, he would have come by himself without an adult."
The guy picked up Elliot's phone and took his time studying the photo. His eyes widened with some sort of enlightenment. "I think my coworker said something about an unattended kid." He turned around and walked the phone over to the woman working at the counter next to him. "Hey Laura, is the kid you saw earlier?" He handed the phone to her so she could look closer.
"Yeah that's him. Kid couldn't be older than thirteen. It was weird that he came by himself." Her eyes dropped back to the photo, "yeah I'm sure it was him."
She handed the phone back to Cal, and he handed it to Olivia. "Thank you. Will you inform security that we are looking for him, but not to approach him." They didn't want to spook him into running away. "But if you see him at the exit don't let him leave."
Both employees nodded, and Laura searched under the counter for the radio. They entered the aquarium just as Laura informed security to watch for a missing kid.
-000-
When Noah began to stir Kathleen snuck into the kitchen. She didn't want Noah to feel like she'd been watching him sleep…even if that's kind of what she did.
She busied herself in the kitchen, cleaning up what was left out in the emergent rush out the door. It looked like her dad had started to make pancakes, but abandoned the endeavor when shit hit the fan.
She dumped the pancake mix into the garbage and began rinsing the bowl in the sink. While the warm water flowed over her hands she suddenly realized that Noah might not have eaten anything in their attempts to get out of the apartment quickly.
It was obvious why he was upset, but she was sure being hangry wasn't helping anything. She peeked through the cupboards to see what they had in the way of food.
Interestingly enough, the cupboards were filled with familiar foods she knew her dad bought. He even organized them in the same way he did at his place. She chuckled to herself. For some reason the whole thing was so damn cute.
She closed the cupboard and almost jumped when she saw Noah at the other side of the counter. She wasn't sure when he snuck in. "Hey dude. I was thinking about lunch. Whatcha want to eat?"
He shrugged.
She was going to get this kid to talk if it killed her. She wandered over to the fridge. "I was thinking cookies sounded kind of good," she said nonchalantly. "Buuuuuut I probably should feed you some real food first." She stood up straight and closed the fridge door. "I have to at least try to be a responsible adult."
That comment earned her a slight twitch of a grin.
She pulled the freezer open and found frozen chicken nuggets and frozen corn dogs. She held up both boxes. "Pick one."
Noah thought for a moment. "Chicken."
At least he answered her. She preheated the oven and dumped the frozen nuggets on the pan. She sat the pan on top of the oven until it finished preheating.
Noah had situated himself on the barstool across the counter so she leaned against the counter towards him. "What kind of cookies do you like?"
She half expected him to shrug her off again, but he actually answered. "Can we make chocolate chip? That's what mom likes too." He thought for a minute, "what kind does your dad like?"
She grinned. "Snickerdoodles," she answered.
Noah looked up at her shyly. "Do you think we could make both kinds? So when my mom and your dad get home they can both have cookies they like?"
Damn, this kid was cute. How was she supposed to say no to that? "Let me make sure we have all the ingredients, and if we have everything, we can definitely make both."
She was rewarded with a small smile. She hoped she'd broken the ice, and from here on out they could at least try to enjoy the day. Maybe.
-000-
Fin stood on the other side of the observation glass. He stood with his arms crossed, fully anticipating another breakdown. He hoped the parents got a grip and realized they had to tread carefully.
Ethan looked a little more chill this time. He wasn't pacing. He was seated in the chair with his arms folded. He kept tipping the chair back and letting it fall forward with a loud clunk.
His parents stood outside the door while a psychologist ran them through what needed to be done so the meeting could be successful. Fin hoped they would listen to the psychologist's suggestions. This kid was pretty volatile, and unpredictable.
Fin watched through narrowed eyes as the parents cautiously entered the room and sat on the far end of the table, finally allowing the kid a little space. Thank God. The psychologist sat close to the parents while the social worker remained close to Ethan. He assumed both parties strategically placed themselves so they could easily intervene if necessary.
The psychologist started the conversation. "Lucas," she began slowly. The psychologist still used the name the child felt most comfortable with. The name he readily identified with. There would be time to talk about adopting his former name, but that was a low priority. The priority was reunification. At least for now. There was a chance that their son would be spending a significant amount of time in a juvenile detention facility. It might not seem fair, but neither was Clem's death. It was a shitty situation for everyone.
"I know this situation is scary, and you don't know these people from strangers on the street, but I need you to listen to what they have to say, okay?"
He gave a curt nod in response.
His mother's shaking voice started first. "Hi," she stumbled across the boy's name, "Lucas," she finally got out. "My name is Jane Campbell." She swallowed nervously. "Everyone calls me Janie, but if it makes you more comfortable you can call me Jane or Mrs. Campbell." She kept her eyes firmly on her son."I know all of this is hard for you to believe, and I can understand that. I just…" the woman sighed, but continued her thought, "I just want to get to know you a little, okay?"
Her eyes stayed in her son, but there was a longing there. Some sort of hope. Fin hoped that jackass kid didn't destroy it completely.
Fin waited for the kid's response, but the observation room door clicked open. Fin's head flipped in that direction as Velasco stuck his head in. "I got Churlish on the phone. She's got results for ya." Fin followed him out hoping for a lucky break.
-000-
They stopped into the gift shop first, hoping the clerk might remember Coton, and what direction he might have went. The aquarium was huge, and full of people. It seemed unlikely they would just happen upon him.
The cashier appeared to be a girl in her late teens with a kind smile. "Hi," Olivia said gently. She showed her badge quickly before asking, "we are looking for a twelve year old boy who might have come in earlier." She waved for Elliot to hand her his phone with the picture on it. She held it out for the girl to see.
It only took her a second to recognize him. "He was here earlier. He was so nice and sweet. He bought a couple of stuffed animals, and this beautiful dolphin necklace. When I asked him who it was for, he told me it was for one of his best friends that he really liked. I thought it was so sweet, and definitely nicer than anything my boyfriend has ever given me."
"Did he mention where he planned to go first?" Elliot asked.
She thought for a moment. "I'm trying to remember. He wasn't super chatty, and I could tell he was a little shy…" she gave herself another moment before she snapped her fingers, remembering his plans. "I think he said he wanted to see the sharks first."
"Thank you." Olivia said with gratitude, and for the first time today, it seemed like they had a chance of finding him.
They made their way towards the shark exhibit. It was a little further away from the entrance, but still not far. They walked in silence, both seemingly lost in their thoughts. Olivia resisted the urge to reach for her partner's hand. It was a foreign impulse, but strong all the same.
She opened and shut her hands, hoping she was being subtle about her anxious desire to touch him. She tried focusing on the surroundings, but that didn't really help. All she could think was how much fun Noah would have here. He would want Elliot to come too, and he would be holding her hand.
She internally groaned. She began to realize why it would have been extremely inappropriate to cross physical boundaries when they were partnered. It would have definitely become a distraction.
Elliot opened the door, but allowed her to enter before him. The lighting was dim, allowing visitors to better view the creatures swimming in the simulated ocean environments.
Elliot's shoulder brushed against hers, and she tried to stifle the annoying anticipatory flip of her stomach. She hoped he wouldn't be offended when she took a half a step away from him. They needed to focus, we and the dark aquarium already made it difficult to spot a wandering child.
She tried not to look sideways, but she could almost feel his amused eyes in her, knowing the obvious reasons why she took a step away. After a moment she felt his eyes return to the search at hand, wandering to benches and different seating areas. They were coming around a slight corner when Colton came into view. Olivia reached her arm out to stop Elliot, and motioned to the seating area where Colton sat.
The boy seemed far away, his gaze fixed on the sharks and fish quietly swimming past. Next to him sat a stuffed dolphin and an orca. A small gift bag rested on his lap.
Olivia nudged Elliot, "Go." She urged quietly.
He shook his head. "You should go."
She hesitated. He usually happily took the lead when it was offered. "He won't want me," she argued. "He likes talking to you."
He sighed and shook his head, "I think we established that you are less threatening than I am." He folded his arms across his chest. "And based on our encounter at the ticket desk, it'd be better if you talked to him."
He jumped a little when she reached out for his elbow. It was an intuitive, instinctual action, but one he was obviously not expecting. For twenty five years they upheld a largely unspoken rule. Hands off at work. She couldn't help it. A small touch seemed insignificant compared to the intimacy they already shared, but her affectionate touch obliterated the bubble they painstakingly preserved for decades.
His blue eyes held an uncertainty uncharacteristic of her typically bold reckless partner. She gently squeezed his elbow with reassurance. "El," her voice came out gentle, softened with obvious affection. "He trusts you." She grinned slyly, "You can be an abrasive ass…" she unintentionally brought a hand to his face, "but you make him feel safe. You did the same thing for Noah. These kids trust you." She tilted her head towards Colton, and dropped her hand. "Go," she encouraged.
His deep blue eyes held hers, and she hoped she provided the reassurance he needed. She nudged him one more time and repeated her soft command, "Go."